How should we treat stalkers?

The beautiful young daughter of my friend’s friend was murdered by a stalker. She had befriended a Holocaust survivor who she was photographing for an assignment and he developed an obsession about her.

Stalking is currently in the news following the publication ofÂ a parliamentary inquiry which concluded that the laws on harassment and stalking are not “fit for purpose” 15 years after they were made, and are in need of fundamental reform. They inquiry believes that while the police and criminal justice system provides protection to the rich and famous from stalkers, it fails to take complaints from the public seriously. At the same time, the world’s first clinic has opened to provide treatment for stalkers based at Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield.

Whenever I watch a psychological thriller, I find any filming of stalkers is the most sinister, chilling and terrifying part. Quite clearly there should be updated laws and advice about how police should deal with stalking; more than three quarters of cases murders by ex-partners involve stalking.

Interestingly, a decision to create a specific criminal offence of stalking in Scotland in 2010 has already had a dramatic impact, resulting in 400 alleged stalkers being prosecuted in the first 11 months of 2011, compared with just 70 in the whole of the previous 10 years under the UK-wide 1997 Protection from Harassment Act. The parliamentary inquiry found that in England the 1997 legislation was used more often to prosecute neighbours arguing about garden hedges and only rarely to deal with stalking.

David Cameron, whose brother, Alexander, recently complained to the police about a stalker, has admitted there is a gap in the law and strongly hinted he wants to see a new specific offence created. And the Home Secretary, Theresa May, has long campaigned on the issueafter she took up a constituency case of a mother whose daughter was murdered by a stalker after complaining to the police. A Home Office consultation on whether a specific criminal offence should be created in England and Wales closed on Monday.

Let’s hope this new clinic can save lives, let’s hope that new laws are introduced in the UK too specifically for stalking. Please take this seriously. I wonder if a clause could be included to deal with harassment and intimidation caused by cyber bullies too.

So sad to here such story like this.I hope they will act now and protect those people who been harassed or stalked.Even bullying it should be cut off.I heard news about it,mostly teenage one they commit suicide because bullying.

Stalking definitely needs to be taken more seriously, especially now with how easy it is to simply stalk somebody on the Internet. Many of these cases end up badly and we need to prevent these situations from taking place and by taking action now.

I have to say I despair when the reaction to any problem is to urge someone to pass a new law. New laws don’t solve problems if we already have perfectly good laws that are not being applied. It’s just a salve to make us think something is being done.

And be careful what you wish for. Look at the new terrorism laws and how they are applied: http://youtu.be/hh0iNo5K3Gk
There are so many more vids to see.

I hope so too Michael. I saw my friend yesterday and we discussed this and she told me how her friend whose daughter was murdered hoped that new legislation would be introduced. Her daughter was shot by her stalker, who then shot himself. The girl told police of her very grave fears about this man’s obsession, but they were ignored. This was in the 1980s and my friend tells me the word “stalking” wasn’t even used then.

We already have legislation: the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Just as we have legislation in place that deals with politicians making fraudulent expense claims and journalists hacking into peoples phones. New legislation isn’t needed.

“There is no legal definition of ‘stalking’. Neither is there specific legislation to address this behaviour. Rather, it is a term used to describe a particular kind of harassment.” which is covered by the 1997 Protection from Harassment Act.

There isn’t a law that specifically covers driving whilst being treated to a blow job either but I think you’ll find that driving without due care and attention is covered by the Road Traffic Act 1988. You cannot reasonably have a specific law for every potentially bad thing in life. It is the application of the law that is important.

It’s quite a serious problem to have stalkers. Much more if you possess such stalking habits to anyone around you. The best thing to do is seek professional help, discuss things about how to erase such symptoms, causes. Above all pray for guidance and protection to God. =)

The problem with ‘stalking’ nowadays is that too many people are quick to label anyone they don’t like dealing with, or even seeing, as a ‘stalker’.

I’ve been stalked and been accused of stalking. The former was the real deal and the latter a form of bullying behaviour in itself. It’s important this legislation deals with the former and doesn’t encourage or provide a weapon for the latter.

It is time we recognised stalking as a crime, along with ensuring professionals are adequately trained, that specialist advocates are available to support victims and that perpetrators are put before the courts and treated for it.

Ian, yes, we have only got to remember the film Fatal Attraction (although fiction) which highlights how men can be victims of female stalkers too.
I had dinner with a friend last night and he told me two stories of stalkers regarding people he knew, and in one case, the woman had to take out a court order restraining him from coming within a certain distance of her house. It can be really terrifying.

Stalking doesn’t just happen to females. I was once stalked by a woman whom I’d interviewed for a newspaper story and she fancied she was in love with me and I’d somehow given her the impression I was with her. I wasn’t, as attractive physically as she was. She would send me very graphic notes telling me what she wanted to do with me, etc. It was creepy and unnerving. It only ceased when I threatened legal intervention.